Aeroplane.



B. J. PRESSEY.

AEROPLANB.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.17, 1908.

Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

B. J. PRESSEY.

AEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED 0OT.17, 1908.

2 SHEET S-SHEET 2.

Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

BURT J". PRESSEY, OF NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA.

AEROPLANE.

oraeao.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

Application filed October 17, 1908. Serial No. 458,234.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BURT J. PRESSEY, a citizen of the United States, residing in Newport News, Virginia, have invented certain Improvements in Aeroplanes, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide an aeroplane with automatic means tending to maintain it upon an even keel during flight by correcting any tendency of the plane to dip either longitudinally or transversely. This object I attain in the manner hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 represents a perspective view of those parts of an aeroplane to which my invention relates, and Figs. 2, 3, and 4: are views illustrating modifications of certain features of the invention.

have, for purposes of illustration, se lected an aeroplane of the Wright type, comprising upper and lower main planes 1 and 2, a vertical steering rudder 3 at the stern,

and upper and lower horizontal steering planes 4 at the bow, butit should be understood that my invention is not limited in its application to aeroplanes of this type, but may be applied to aeroplanes generally, whether provided with a single main plane or with a plurality of such planes, and I will hereafter, for convenience, refer to this element as-a main plane. My invention is also independent of the means employed for steering the main plane from side to side.

I have not considered it necessary to show the means for propelling the aeroplane or 'for operating mechanically the rudder 3 as these form no part of my invention.

I will firstdescribe the means which I have devised for correcting the lateral dip of the main plane and for restoring the latter to an even keel when there is an such lateral dip either to port or starboar At each side of the main plane 1 is a supplementar'yplane 5 of such surface area as experience mayprove to be necessary, these su lementary p anes being shown in Fig. l as coated in advance of "the main plane, although they may be in the rear thereof or at the sides of the same, the latter construction being shown in Fig. 4. In connection with these supplementary gravity-influenced mechanism for holding them in a horizontal or substantially horizontal position when the main plane is travcling on an even keel, and for causing them to dip when the main plane dips laterally to port or starboard, the supplementary planes havin a lifting. efie'ct upon the depressed end of the main plane and a depressingef fect upon the lifted end of the same so as to tend to correct such lateral dip of the main plane and restore it to an even keel.

The supplementary planes 5 are pivoted so as to swing on a transverse axis midway or thereabouts of their length and are mountlanes I employ ed in suitable supports carried by the main hang vertically. This movement of the shafts 6 is transmitted to the planes 5 in any suitable manner, the means shown in Fig. 1 for eEecting this object being an engagement of the arms 7 with eyes 11 at the rear of the planes 5. The efiect, therefore,

of a dip to starboard of the main plane will be to depress the afterfend and raise the forward end of the starboard plane 5, andto raisethe after end and depress the forward end of the port plane 5, thereby causing said starboard plane 5 to exercise a lifting infinence upon the starboard end of the mam plane, while, at the same time, the port plane 5 exercises a depressin influence upon the port side of the main p ane, these influences tending to cause said main plane to resume an even keel. Contrariwise, a dip of the main plane on the port side will cause the raising of the forward end of the port plane 5 and a depression of the forward end of the starboard plane 5, thereby causing said planes to exercise a lifting influence upon the port side of the main plane and a depressing influence uponthe starboard side of the same.

In rounding a circle it is advisable to dip that side of the main plane which is nearest the axis of the circle, and to raise the opposite side of the plane and this operation is also automatically effected, since centrifugal force tends to wing both weights outwardly in respect to said axis and thereby so adjust the supplementary planes 5 that they will have a depressing effect upon that side of the main plane which is on the inside of the cigcle and a lifting effect on the opposite si e.

While I have shown and described the gravity-influenced controlling devices as used in connection with planes supplementary to the main planes, it will be evident that, if desired, the main plane itself may have transversely pivoted end portions, to be operated in the same manner as said supplementary planes, in fact the planes 5 shown in Fig. 4, may be considered as sections of the main plane. Very little power is required to dip the planes, if the latter are centrally pivoted, and, when dipped, the

ressure of the air is exerted with equal force both above and below the pivotal axis, thereby effecting a counterbalance.-

In order to resist longitudinal dip of the plane, I provide, forward of the main plane, one or more planes each of which is acted upon by a gravity-influenced weight in such manner that it has a constant tendency to remain in a horizontal or substantially horizontal position. In the drawing, I have shown the planes 4 as thus influenced, and have also shown another plane 12 in the rear of the same, this plane being pivoted on a transverse axis, midway or thereabouts of 1ts length, to the supports which carry the forward planes 4, and being provided with a central depending arm 13, with weight 14 at its lower end, said weight tending to maintain the plane 12 constantly in a horizontal or substantially horizontal pos1t1on, so that it will offer equal resistance either to upward or downward movement and thus tend to keep the main plane upon a longitudinally even keel.

In addition to the gravity-influenced weight 17 for automatically controlling the position of the planes 4, I provide the latter with the ordinary means such as the arm 4 and rod 4 whereby they can be manually controlled, in order to influence the ascent or descent of the main plane. The plane 12 alone, may, if desired, be under the control of the gravity-influenced weight, or, on the other hand, the planes 4 may be the only ones to be thus controlled.

As an instance of alternative means for operating the planes 5, I have illustrated in Fig. 2 gear wheels 22 and 23 connecting the pivot shaft of the plane and the longitudinal rock shaft 6.

It is not necessary to the proper embodiment of my invention that a swinging weight should be employed, and in Fig. 3 I have shown in connection with one of the supplementary planes 5 means whereby a sliding weight is available for the purpose of effecting the desired adjustment of said plane, the weight 25 being mounted so as to freely slide laterally upon a. transverse rod 26 beneath the plane and, when said rod is horizontal, being maintained in a central position on the rod by means of light springs 27 at each end of the weight, the plane 5 being at such time likewise horizontal.

Drums 29 at the opposite ends of the pivot shaft of the plane have wound upon them in reverse directions, a cord, rope, chain or the like, represented at 30, the opposite ends of the same being connected to the opposite ends of the weight 25, and its intermediate portions passing around suitable guide sheaves 31 in such manner that movement of the weight 25 from its normal central position toward the right will effect dip of the plane 5 in one direction, opposite movement of the weight efiecting an opposite dip of the plane. The freely swinging weight as a means of adjusting the planes is, however, preferred.

Some of the features of my invention may be used in cases where a single gravity influenced weight is caused to simultaneously operate both the port and starboard planes, and I have indicated one such construction in Fig. 4, the weighted arm 15 being connected by a rod 16 to hell crank levers 17 located at opposite ends of the main plane, each of these bell crank levers having a slotted arm for the reception of an arm 19 on the transverse rock shaft 20 which carries the respective supplementary dip-controlling plane 5 at the end of the main plane. While I prefer that the dip-controlling members at opposite ends of the main plane shall be pivoted, this is not absolutely essential.

I claim:

1. The combination of a main plane, a weighted arm pivoted to said plane so as to be ree to swing laterally, a dip-controlling plane swinging in a plane transverse to the plane of swing of the weighted arm, and connections between said dip-contr lling plane and the swinging arm, one of which connections is slotted.

2. In an aeroplane, the combination of the main plane with a plurality of planes forward of the same, each of said planes being under control of a avity-infiuenced weight, whereby it is retamed in horizontal or substantially horizontal position irrespective of the longitudinal dip of the main plane. I

3. In an aeroplane, the combination of the main plane with a manually controlled steering plane forward of the same, and in addition to said steering plane, a plane whose position is controlled by a gravity influenced weight, whereby it is retained in horizontal or substantially horizontal position irrespective of the longitudinal dip of the main plane.-

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

BURT J. PRESSEY, Witnesses:

HAMILTON D. TURNER, KA'rE A. BEADLE. 

